


Kintsugi

by Mool



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, ShintoPriest!Shiro, Student!Keith, Tender Sheiths, nsfw ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-09 01:26:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11658726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mool/pseuds/Mool
Summary: Keith was just looking for a good place to cut class when he discovers a Shinto temple. Instead of finding a soft place to lay his head for a nap, he finds a Shinto priest who sends him straight back to class - but not without a challenge. Keith can’t deny a challenge, especially when it gives him a reason to see the priest again. Student!Keith and ShintoPriest!Shiro Modern Day AUSubmission for Voltron General Big Bang - Mool and Teicakes





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's been a while! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this fic! This is my submission for the Voltron General Big Bang! I was paired up with the amazing tei and I just want to say I loved working with her and how she captured the feeling of the fic QAQ
> 
> Please go visit her twitter @[teiandcake](https://twitter.com/teiandcake) and tumblr @[teicakes](http://teicakes.tumblr.com/) to see more of her amazing art!!

 

It was quiet, as always. A gust of wind caused a shiver to run through the trees, barely breaking the silence. A soft sweeping sound accompanied the rustle of the leaves, sending a steady pulse of life through the landscape.

Shiro always liked cleaning the grounds, cleansing the earth from its impurities, setting things fresh for the new day. He guided the leaves into neat little hills that sat along the edges of the mossy, stones.

A crisp snap of a twig like a bone breaking brought Shiro out of his wandering thoughts, its sound out of place in the rhythmic pace of Shiro’s strokes. A tumble of limbs and leaves burst through the trees that lined the edges of the grounds. Messy hair with a few leaves nestled between the locks and vibrant colored eyes surprised Shiro into a fighting stance, broom brandished as a weapon towards the intruder.

“Woah,” was all that came from the young man’s lips, his eyes quickly scanning his surroundings. Shiro recognized the inky uniform, less crisp and a little more rumpled than what he remembered when Shiro wore a similar getup when he was around the youth’s age. The student’s eyes glittered like the buttons on his uniform as he took in his surroundings, especially the priest in front of him. Shiro noticed, as expected, the boy’s eyes landed on the sleeve of his crisp, white robe that hung limply at his side.

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” Shiro inquired, lowering his broom without loosening his grip.

The youth had an impassive look on his face as he brushed the leaves out of his hair and gave a noncommittal shrug.  His eyes swept across the shrine grounds with a discerning gaze. “Where am I?”

“Shirogane Shrine,” Shiro said with a bit of pride, as he lowered his broom to continue guiding the leaves into their rightful piles.

The student hummed in thought. “Never heard of it,” he finally said. It was to be expected, but Shiro’s shoulders still sagged in disappointment.

“What’s your name?” Shiro asked, trying to be as friendly as possible, even though his newfound patron seemingly had no intention to do the same.

“Keith,” he replied simply, strolling towards the cleansing fountain.

Shiro flushed, a burning sensation running across his cheeks. He licked his chapped lips. “Keith? Really?”

Keith just looked at him, eyes flickering in a challenge. Shiro didn’t rise to the occasion and only swallowed thickly. Getting beat up by a high schooler was not on the agenda, so he’d call the youth these days whatever they wanted, no matter how weird it was.

“My name is Shirogane Takashi, but my friends call me Shiro,” Shiro said, trying to get the conversation flowing again.

The leaves were the only ones that rustled with a reply.

A chill of disappointment ran through Shiro as he watched Keith sightsee around the shrine, not noticing how his loafers spread the leaf hills into red smears in aimless patterns.

Shiro felt concern for the student, especially since he was obviously cutting class and showed no remorse for his actions. Shiro needed to set an example for the future youth of Japan. Keith could end up being a high school dropout if Shiro didn’t give him a nudge in the right direction.

Shiro tightened his grip around his broom and dashed towards the shrine, telling Keith that he would be back. He prayed that Keith would at least stay until then.

Clacking from his sandals mirrored his quick steps towards the shrine. He grabbed what he was looking for from the display, the amulets neatly lining the shelves.

He made his way towards Keith, breathing steadily to slow the fluttering of his heart. Nerves were getting the best of him as the broody teen was one of his first visitors in a long while.

The shrine was set far back in the forest, away from the main roads. It took Shiro a fifteen minute walk to the nearest bus stop. The lack of visitors was not from Shiro’s incompetence, but rather the urbanization away from the temple. The high school was probably a thirty minute walk, but judging from the shortcut Keith took, it probably took a shorter period of time.

Taking a deep breath, he stopped in front of Keith, holding out a closed fist, making a motion with his chin to indicate he wanted Keith to outstretch his own hand.

Not denying the small spark of joy as Keith put up no resistance and held out his hand, palm up. Shiro dropped the small brocade bag into Keith’s hand.

Shiro watched Keith study the omamori with curiosity, a thumb traced over the embroidered floral design that wrapped around the characters that read “Fulfillment of Academic Success.” Bony fingers closed around the talisman, Keith looked at him expectantly as he moved to shove it in his pocket.

Shiro stopped him before he could, placing his hand over Keith’s fist. “Wait, hold on. I need to bless it.” Shiro hoped Keith didn’t notice the slight tremor of nerves in his voice. While the blessing wasn’t necessary, for some reason he didn’t want him to leave so soon.

He was grateful that Keith wasn’t so eager to leave, patiently waiting until Shiro finished his blessing. The words fumbled out past his lips, unsteady with disuse. He felt himself flush a bit more at each mistake, subtle mispronunciations of words, but to anyone who had gotten a blessing would have noticed.

When he was done, Keith didn’t shove his hand into his pocket as Shiro had expected, but rather threaded his finger through the loop at the top. Keith’s mouth twisted cutely and eyes shifted away with thought.

“Thanks.” A shy smile played on his lips, eyes downcast. Shiro’s heart was still fluttering, but he wasn’t too sure what it was from anymore. He had to admit that the kid, even though he was probably only a few years younger than him, was cute. Feeling bold with his current streak of successes, he cleared his throat.

“Come back,” he said, a little too forcefully. Even Shiro flinched at the hard edge of his voice. His voice softened, “Come back when you get full marks.”

The pair locked eyes, Keith nodded and waggled his fingers in farewell. The talisman swayed between his fingertips. It was an endearing moment that caught Shiro off guard a little too much. Instead of heading down the stone steps, Keith disappeared in the foliage beneath the trees from where he made his unexpected entrance.

Shiro let the breath he was holding, out with the wind.

The leaves rustled in reassurance.

* * *

 

_Shit, shit, shit_.

Keith’s mind raced as he pushed a particularly stubborn branch out of the way. It slapped his hand in retaliation.

When he climbed over the school gates, all Keith wanted was to find a peaceful place to nap.

It was study period and he was a third year.

Reason to stay?

Nope.

He had high hopes when he saw a clearing in the woods, a snooze in a grassy field far more appealing than hazardous napping in a tree (He had done it before. The results were as expected).

Instead of finding a soft place to rest, he found a hard pair of eyes and a broom pointed at him. Keith snorted at the memory. As if he could do anything to a guy that size. The priest, Shirogane, or rather, Shiro seemed like he could snap Keith in half, regardless of a missing limb. But rather, the gentle giant gave Keith a gift - the soft brocade currently getting a little clammy from the sweat it absorbed from Keith’s tight grip.

It was undeniable that Keith was embarrassed for a mixture of reasons. He got caught cutting class. By a priest. A hot priest. A hot priest that wanted him to come back.

Keith wanted to see him again, but _shit._ Full marks on a test? The last time Keith got anywhere close to a 100 percent on anything was in elementary school. On an art project. He could have drawn a happy face on a piece of paper and still would have gotten full marks.

Was it worth all the trouble just to see Shiro again? Picturing the look of elation on his face, Keith supposed it was. Maybe he could even ask for a reward for his hard work.

Keith let out a sigh, slipping through the gates after surveying the area.

What did have have to lose?

 

* * *

 

“What. What is this? Keith, studying?”

Keith let out a sigh and put his pencil down, knowing that he wouldn’t get very far with his new visitor.

“What do you want, Pidge?” looked up, seeing his bespectacled childhood friend leering at him from the classroom door. Pidge raised her hands in defense and shrugged her shoulders.

“Is it so unusual for a student to be studying, Pidge?” Keith massaged the back of his neck as he looked at the clock. Keith swore that the clock was broken. Possibly moving backwards.

“Yeah, if the student’s name is ‘Keith.’” Pidge approached his desk to snoop at Keith’s work. Keith snapped his workbook shut before she got too close. Pidge gave him a quick glare. He smirked.

“Why are you even here, Pidge? Shouldn’t you also be studying right now?” Keith hoped he reminded her of some upcoming test that she always seemed to have.

“Oh, just finished up class. I forgot my book at school and saw a light still on.” Keith stretched back in his seat, trying to release the tension in his lower back. Pidge saw the opportunity and snatched his book. Keith tried to snatch it back but was too slow.

“Pidge!” he groused, watching her lick her thumb as she flipped through the pages. Gross.

“What has our dear Keith studying so hard?” Pidge’s snide smile had Keith’s fists clenched, but his lack of studying stamina had him laying his head on the desk.

“None of your business,” me muttered mostly to the desk, but hoped Pidge also got the message.

Pidge just scoffed. “As if your secrets could ever fly below my network.” Keith sighed. She was right.

“By the way,” Pidge added, ”You missed four. Not bad, considering you only show up to class once a week.”

Keith huffed his bangs out of his face. “How do you even know when I show up to class? You’re not even in it, Ms. Advanced Class.”

“Ah, you forget, Mr. Remedial Class,” Pidge’s grin was like a cat who got the cream. “My seat is next to the window. Which looks over the back fence of the school.”

Shit. He forgot. Well, as long as Pidge didn’t tell, which he knew she wouldn’t - her grades were perfect, but her attendance was definitely not.

“I found a shrine while I was looking for a place to nap.” Keith didn’t have time to lie to Pidge. She would find out eventually, regardless if he told her or not.

“Oh? You mean Shirogane Shrine?” Keith’s heart did a little flip at the name. He nodded in confirmation. “My brother knows the guy running it. Shiro?” A tight sensation wrapped around his chest. “My brother and Shiro were best friends in elementary school.”

It wasn’t jealousy Keith felt clenching at his ribcage. It wasn’t.

Keith wanted to ask everything about Shiro. His favorite food, season, hobbies, color, anything he could get his hands on. Yet, he didn’t want to know. He didn’t want to know that Shiro’s childhood friend knew more about him than some guy  he just met a few hours ago. It was silly, Keith knew, but it didn’t mean that it didn’t bother him.

Pidge continued on, not noticing the way Keith’s curled in tighter in his palm. “Shiro just started out at the shrine, though.” Keith looked up. To be honest, he wasn’t surprised, thinking of the way of Shiro’s words were slightly slurred from his hazy memory, soft apologies whispered between syllables.

“What did Shiro do before?” The words left his mouth before his brain could bottle them up.

“He was in the United States. He was there for quite a few years, actually,” Pidge hopped up on a desk, making herself more comfortable. “He joined the Air Force - one of their best pilots. They of course sent him out. Came back a different person. Physically and mentally.”

Keith would have to be blind to have missed the scars, the lack of a limb, the way that he tried to defend himself against Keith when he surprised him. Eyes challenging like a cornered animal. It made sense. Keith wished it hadn’t.

Pidge turned her head, staring out at the setting sun, eyes unfocused. “He came back here because his parents thought being at the temple would calm him down. His grandparents ran the temple.” Pidge’s words flowed out, clear like a stream, Keith drank them up greedily. “When they passed away, it was only Shiro left. We expected him to go back to the States, but he stayed.” Pidge let out a breath, letting the tension bleed from her shoulders.

She looked at Keith who was still entranced by the flood of information about Shiro. “I said too much,” she chuckled ruefully, “but it’s something you probably should know.”

If Keith was at all empathetic, he would have seen the how Pidge looked relieved, the knit in her brow unraveled and smoothed. Her face reverted into a smirk, flashing teeth. “Since you want to impress him, right?”

Keith glared through the of his burning cheeks. “What?” he huffed. “Even if that’s the case, it’s not like…” He trailed off, letting the silence speak for him.  

Pidge let her eyes roll to the ceiling. “Then why are you studying so hard?”

That question, Keith couldn’t answer. It was obvious that Pidge was asking the purpose of Keith’s sudden interest in studying if it wasn’t for a crush, but Keith couldn’t help take it another step further.

There was something about him that grabbed Keith’s attention, some force of gravity or attraction that Keith couldn’t deny. A few seconds of Shiro made Keith want to stay forever. Yet, a few seconds with Shiro made Keith’s insides burn and twist like his heart was a fiery pit curling in on itself. A frightening concept, really.

Did he want to help Shiro? Did he want to impress Shiro? Did he want to make Shiro proud?

If this were a test, Keith would have circled all of the above. Explain his answers, he could not. That counted as half credit, right?

Keith never had anyone to be proud of him, growing up in an empty household - parents who didn’t want him, kept him as a societal obligation. Grades didn’t matter to them as they were just an extension of Keith.

Keith wondered what it would be like to care. He wondered what it would be like to have someone care about him, neither Pidge nor parental way, but in a unconditional love sort of way.

He was getting ahead of himself, he knew, but Keith couldn’t help a small spark of hope in himself. Maybe that was the reason why he picked up his pencil and looked expectantly at Pidge.

Pidge sighed, which was becoming very quickly a Pidge Thing, and took his silence as his answer. “For any reason, if you want to do well, you’ll need a good tutor.”

With that, Pidge settled in, cram book in hand and red pen ready to tear Keith a new one.

Keith didn’t say so, but he was grateful.


	2. Chapter 2

It was an oddly warm day for winter, spring making an early surprise appearance. Shiro felt suffocated; anywhere his robe touched his skin was damp with perspiration, dragging along his skin. Sweat beaded on his top lip. He tried not to lick at it as he bowed over his patron’s wrinkled hands.

Her wrinkled fingertips were cool in his when she passed over the charm, a gift for her grandson who was preparing for the mock exam coming up. Shiro listened patiently as she talked about her tradition of buying one for him for every exam, trying not to tug  at his collar that was currently causing his throat to feel too tight. Her gauzy top fluttered in the light breeze that Shiro wanted to desperately feel, too many folds blocking the potential relief.

After a few anecdotes of her pride and joy, she bowed deeply to him, thanking Shiro for his services. Shiro helped her down the cobbled stairs, her grip surprisingly strong on his bicep, causing his sleeve to become dark with sweat.

Shiro retreated swiftly to the cool shade of the shrine, thinking about taking one of the folded prayer papers to fan himself. Maybe even splashing his face in the washing station. He knew better, but regardless, it was tempting.

Right when he made his decision of just soaking his hands in the wash basin, it was still technically handwashing, after all, a rustle of leaves interrupted his journey.

A body burst out from the bushes, a flurry of leaves knocked free from their perch. Dark hair framed a familiar face, glittery eyes locked onto him.

His face. Shiro had sworn he had seen a face like that before. He felt guilty that he didn’t remember. He didn’t have much time to figure it out, however, as the student tromped towards him. Shiro raised his arm up protectively, ducking his head beneath.

Shiro was taken aback as a crumpled piece of paper was thrust out in front of him, two hands clutching the once crisp edges.

A dark sleeve swiped across the perspiration that dripped around thick brows. Shiro almost winced in sympathy, remembering when he had to wear a school uniform regardless of weather conditions. Although, the student wasn’t exactly wearing the uniform according to regulation. The top few buttons that would have fit tightly around his neck were flying free, a white shirt with a halo of sweat bleeding through the cotton around his collar.

“Can I… help you?” Shiro felt nervous, as the boy’s eyes grew wide with realization. He lowered the paper from the disappointment that Shiro didn’t remember him.

“It’s me, Keith.” Shiro let relief wash through him as he remembered that name. And then a second wave of panic filled the once empty spot. Keith had come back, it had been weeks since Shiro told him to get full marks. And he did it.

“Oh, yes, Keith,” Shiro said airily, hoping it sounded like he didn’t totally forget about him, “Welcome back.” Shiro felt a bead of sweat slide down his temple.

“I got full marks on my test. Like you told me to.” Shiro’s eyes scanned across the page, indeed a bold “100” with red lines was printed proudly at the top. Keith’s stoic face couldn’t contain the pride shining in his eyes as Shiro looked at the approving, red circles all over the test.

“Well done, Keith,” Shiro offered up his praise, not sure what else to say besides that.

Keith took a huffing breath, pulling the test away to crumple it back in his pocket. Shiro winced, hoping it wasn’t an action of malice, but the faint upturn of Keith’s lips that appeared quickly soothed his worry.

“I want another charm as a reward. And there,” Keith made a gesture towards the shrine, “I want to nap in there. Whenever I want.” Before Shiro protested, Keith cut him off. “It’s extra payment, since you forgot about me.”

_Shit. Found out_. Shiro blinked and gave him a sheepish smile. Keith returned it with a cheeky one. He couldn’t help but laugh at the boldness of the teen, nodding in surrender.

“Fine, as long as you keep your grades up.” Keith’s eyes brightened, while looking slightly taken aback with Shiro’s willingness to cooperate.

Shiro resisted the urge to ruffle Keith’s hair, turning away from him. “Wait here,” he said gently.

_He really is an odd one_ , Shiro thought, as he made his way back to the shrine, pulling another colorfully decorated talisman from the shelf.

 

* * *

 

Keith wiped his hands on his pants, the cotton quickly absorbing his sweat. It was hard to believe he mustered enough courage to be so bold to demand not one, but two rewards. He wondered what kind of pushover or weirdo he managed to win over, but the overall attractiveness of such weirdo pushover outweighed his apprehension.

He admired the way Shiro strode with confidence, even though his gait was constricted by his robes. While the formal attire wasn’t  exactly flattering to his hulking figure, it didn’t keep Keith from looking and imagining.

Shiro held out the charm, this one neatly stitched with the characters for “Luck.” Keith tried to steel his expression as Shiro’s hand brushed against his when he handed it to him, rough fingertips brushing against his palm.

“Didn’t think you wanted the same one as last time,” Shiro said with a smile playing on his lips, tugging his fingers through his sweat-dampened fringe.

Keith tried to not let the flipping of his heart affect his breathing. He blamed the heat.

“I’ll be back,” Keith muttered, “For the nap,” he clarified. He tugged at his collar, grimacing at the dampness that collected there.

With little preamble besides a small, awkward nod, Keith turned and disappeared back from where he arrived.

He grinned a little to himself as he heard Shiro shouted a polite farewell after him. Keith clutched the omamori to his chest.

 

* * *

 

“Late again. This isn’t how a rising star student should behave,” a teasing voice came beside Keith.

“Good thing I’m not a star student then,” Keith said, not bothering to look over at Pidge. “Don’t you have something to be studying for, Pidge?” he muttered as he kept walking down the hallway towards his “non-academically gifted”class.

Pidge scoffed. “I am insulted that you think all I ever do is study. I also have other hobbies too!”  she sassed.

“Sorry, I forgot. Don’t you have ‘noobs to crush’ on your mobile games?” Keith sassed back, even adding air quotes.

“Ooh, you’re right! My stamina is probably full by now. Thanks, bud.” Pidge turned into the classroom, assumingly to grab her cell phone.

Keith continued to walk down the hallway, pleased to be free of Pidge’s harassment.

“By the way!” Pidge’s voice called after him. Keith winced, as other students started staring at him due to her shouting. “Congrats on getting second on the placement exam, you nerd!”

The usual chatter of the hallway stopped for a brief second and continued. Keith knew that it wouldn’t be the end of it, sighing as he sought solitude in his “we’re just trying to make it out of high school” classroom.

It was lunch period, so half of the students in his class hadn’t shown up or had already left. Keith put his bag down, sighing once again before taking out his practice exam book.

Keith’s mousy teacher, the name of whom he could not remember, scuttled up to him. His voice barely carried as he mumbled something about being “gone” and “placement results.” A slip of paper was passed to him, Keith making out the word, “congratulations,” as he read his results.

He tried not to fist pump as he received almost perfect scores, except for a few points marked off of English language. Those damn past participle and verb conjugations always got to him.

“Hey Keith!” a sing-song voice came across the room. Keith rolled his eyes. _I am not in the mood for this_ , he thought as he started to scrunch up his paper to stuff into his pocket to show to a certain priest later.

“I hear you became a dry noodle and actually studied for placement exams,” the voice continued, as the speaker got closer.

“That doesn’t even make any sense, Lance,” Keith rolled his eyes. He  didn’t even dare give Lance the satisfaction of looking in his general direction.

Keith went back to his own thoughts, rethinking about his choice of scrunching up the test results. _Maybe I should fold it up nicer so he can read it better_ , Keith thought, pulling the wadded up paper out.

“Oooh, let’s see what the nerd got on his test,” Lance making weird spidery fingers at Keith’s test results that were currently being smoothed out.

Keith decided that he’d rather have Lance not know his test scores than present his scores to Shiro nicely. He quickly shoved the paper back in his pocket before Lance could snatch them away.

“Too late, book boy,” Keith swore Lance’s intelligence was reflected in his creative insults, “I already know you got second in the placement exams.” Lance presented his phone to Keith to show a picture he took of the ranking board in the hallway. Unfortunately for Lance, his text messages to some person named “Hunk” were also displayed on his screen. This school was full of weird names.

> _(08:02) WTF!!!!!! ((╬ಠ益ಠ)_
> 
> _Image attached_
> 
> _keith got 2nd??????????_
> 
> _(08:03) Oh, cool! Congrats to Kogane!_ _⸜( ˙˘˙)⸝_ _✫✫✫_
> 
> _(08:11) ur missign the point（;≧皿≦）_
> 
> _(08:13) ???_ _Σ(゜゜)_
> 
> _(09:01) i studeid so much!!! keith is my sworn rival! my nemises ! hes not supposed to_

Unfortunately for Keith, phone screens were small and the rest of the conversation was cut off. Lance also belatedly realized that Keith was reading his texts and snatched his phone away before Keith could read any more.

Keith stood up, deciding that it would be far more productive to study at the shrine. And showing Shiro his top marks, well, that would be a great addition to his afternoon.

As he made his way out to the hall, he was stopped by a girl. Keith had never seen her before, but it seemed like she knew him.

“Hey, Kogane,” she said in a genuinely friendly way. It was suspicious. Keith stiffened, debating whether to bolt or to greet her like he knew her.

“Hey… you…?” Keith managed, trying not to squint with thought. Keith tried, he really did. He tried shuffling to the side to keep walking. It was harder to sneak out after lunch period and there were only a few minutes left.

The girl moved in front of him, blocking his way. This time, Keith didn’t hold back the scowl that appeared on his face. Why was the world so against him seeing Mr. Hot Priest?

“Hey, hey! I’m not done with you!” she said perkily. Keith’s scowl deepened.

“I’m in a bit of a rush,” he tried to say as nicely as possible, which wasn’t that nice according to the general population.

“I’m just curious where you went for cram school, ok?” her demeanor suddenly taking a turn for the worse, “Or maybe who your private tutor was? There’s no way you could have jumped that many ranks on your own,” Keith bristled, definitely agreeing with his past self of being suspicious of her behaviour. Keith turned the opposite way and walked towards the other stairwell, ignoring her squawks behind him.

What a bitch.

 

* * *

 

Shiro was sweeping again, piles much smaller and composed of the remaining leaves that finally relinquished their hold upon the branches.

Shiro went back to the shrine, putting back his broom. There were no more leaves left for Shiro to sweep and it was about time for a visitor to arrive.

Right on cue, Keith appeared between the barren bushes, making his way towards Shiro. He could already tell that Keith had another test to show him from the look of determination on Keith’s face. Even when the leaves had abandoned the bushes, Keith stubbornly refused to take a less painful route to the shrine, hands littered with angry, red scratches. Shiro couldn’t let the wounds go untended, despite Keith’s protests.

“Shiro,” Keith said, a little out of breath. Keith’s expression always looked like he escaped from prison when he came, which always made Shiro laugh a bit to himself.

“Welcome back, Keith,” Shiro replied warmly. Shiro always prided himself in the frequency of Keith’s visits, someone who seemed to get antsy after being in one place for longer than ten minutes. Keith finished his journey and stood before Shiro.

“Shiro,” Keith repeated, his dark eyes, darting to the left as if to gaze at the shrine. A pink tongue darted out between his lips. Shiro found that Keith was nervous to show him his test scores each time, no matter how many high marks there were. Honestly, Shiro didn’t care how high the scores were, but Keith never failed to get anything below a 95.

“Have something to show me, Keith?” Shiro teased gently. Keith playfully glared at him, and shoved his hands in his pocket, bringing out a wad of paper.

“It’s the placement exams from last week,” Keith began, pink staining the apples of his cheeks. Shiro carefully uncrumpled the test scores, revealing perfect scores in almost all of the categories. Keith never ceased to amaze Shiro, each test score coming out better than the next.

“Outstanding, Keith,” Shiro breathed, looking over the scores once more.

The apples of Keith’s cheeks darkened even more, Keith running his fingers through his hair. Shiro couldn’t help but admire the contrast of skin color.

Keith tugged the paper out of Shiro’s hands, walking towards the shrine.

“You know what this means,” Keith said, looking over his shoulder.

Shiro smiled and followed after him.

Keith arrived at the omamori stand first, looking over the colorful embroidered pouches.

“Which one this time, Keith?” Shiro asked, curiously peering over his shoulder.

“This one,” Keith picked up an orange pouch, immediately bringing out his phone.

“Happiness, huh?” Shiro watched as Keith added it to the ever growing collection of charms Keith had accumulated over the past month on his phone. The charms looked like a bunch of teabags, a rainbow of various lucky charms steeping into Keith’s life.

Shiro thought he heard Keith mutter, “Don’t think I’ll really need it though.”

Shiro assumed it was just his imagination.

The pair followed their routine of Keith studying underneath the shade of the building, the only sound between them was the sound of pages turning.

Their peace was interrupted by the growling of their bellies, indicating a much needed break. Keith dug around his school bag, pulling out a plastic bag that held their slightly smushed bread - a cream bun and banana milk for Shiro and a yakisoba one and milk coffee for Keith.

The start of Keith bringing Shiro food happened when Keith first began hanging out at the shrine more frequently. He was unwrapping a cafeteria-produced onigiri when he noticed Shiro picking around a rather dark morsel of food.

“Shiro, what is that-” Keith began, when Shiro looked up with a sheepish look.

“It’s… blackened salmon.”

“Isn’t blackened just a fancy word for burnt.”

“N-no! It’s for intentional burning for added flavor, of course.”

“Was that intentional?”

“...No.”

Keith brought him three types of bread the next day.

Since then, Keith paid close attention to which breads Shiro ate with fervor. He didn’t mean to study Shiro so closely, but the obvious enjoyment of certain foods  (mainly the sweet ones) made it easy for Keith to discern which were his favorites.

“Let me pay you back for all the food you keep bringing me,” Shiro offered one day, holding out some bills to Keith.

Keith just shook his head. “My parents give me more than enough money for food,” Keith replied, “They just leave a wad of cash on the table every month for me to use.” Keith ripped off another piece of fluffy bun off of his croquette burger and stuffed it in his mouth.

Shiro had a feeling that this was the first time Keith had someone to eat food with daily. He felt a swell of pride for having the privilege, but felt a pang of guilt for it.

 

* * *

 

Keith woke up slowly, pressed up against something firm. He blinked his eyes blearily, realizing his head was pillowed on Shiro’s chest. They were sitting against a wall in what seemed to be Shiro’s home, a place that Keith had never been before. A well-worn blanket was laid out across their laps, protecting them from the chilly night air.

Shiro was reading what seemed to be a piece of paper with beautiful calligraphy sprawling across it that Keith could barely read with its complex squiggles and smears. Shiro had no trouble, however, as he muttered under his breath what seemed to be a prayer of fortitude for a wedding.

Keith was embarrassed, realizing that he had fallen asleep while he was studying. He didn’t want to disturb Shiro and the shared warmth addled his brain to the point where he didn’t really care or want to move. It wasn’t like anyone was waiting for him at home.

Keith closed his eyes once more, letting the heat from Shiro soak deep into his bones, lulling him back to sleep.

“Do you want to go with me?” Keith held up a flier, the garish decorations designs exclaiming a festival, the date proclaiming its arrival as that day.

Shiro reached for the creased paper that had been obviously shoved hastily in Keith’s bag. Shiro scanned the paper.

The location? The Gara Shrine, the larger shrine located midtown that always put on flashy celebrations during supposed Shinto holidays.  Shiro was pretty sure it wasn’t a real Shinto shrine, only recently being built within the last few years, but he wasn’t one to be calling out possibly false shrines of an ancient religion.

Shiro knew most of his patrons started visiting that shrine for its large grounds, wide array of omamori, and festivals that no doubt used a hefty sum of the offerings. Shiro wasn’t a fan of the Gara, but this was Keith he was talking about.

“Sure,” he agreed readily. The shrine was once again empty, save for a few lost souls. Shiro wasn’t going to be busy any time soon, especially later in the day when a festival would be happening.

“Cool,” Keith smiled a bit, flush high on his cheeks. Shiro couldn’t help the fluttering in his chest, but tried to ignore it. The sun was hanging low in the sky, also preparing for the nighttime festivities. A chilling breeze swept through the grounds.

Keith made his way towards the gate, Shiro following to say his usual farewell.

“Meet me at the shrine at 7?” Keith asked, halting before the dusty red gate, paint threatening to peel like a ripe orange.

“Yeah, see you then,” Shiro said warmly, bowing slightly in farewell. He watched as Keith turned, bowed before leaving the gate, and walk down the dusty road. Shiro stayed there until Keith disappeared from sight.

 

* * *

 

Shiro tugged nervously on his sleeve, making sure it looked like there was some semblance of something filling it. He liked wearing the usual garb of a Shinto priest as the loose sleeves made it easy to hide a missing limb. However, this was one of the few moments that Shiro was able to wear clothes that wasn’t a white kimono and he wouldn’t be lying that he savored the novelty of it.

He had arrived at the shrine early, waiting with all of the other dates waiting by the torii, the gates looming over the present half of the couples.

Shiro looked around at most of the people surrounding him, cute girls with their hair done up in neat buns, curls framing their pink tinged cheeks. Their kimonos’ patterns were colorful representations of nature and other wintery patterns. Groups of them giggled nervously, hands over their mouths cutely as they chatted about their plans for the festival.

He felt out of place, a looming figure amongst the crowd, he knew his general appearance, arm or not, was was not best for blending in. He still had scars and white hair that seemed out of place above a young face; features that made him feel a little less human than the rest. However, he still felt some camaraderie, all of them early awaiting the arrival the other half of their pair.

The group became more restless as time passed, couples met up, disappearing into the festivities that were in full swing beyond the gate. Soon, Shiro had only a few companions, feeling sorry for them as they had probably been stood up. Shiro, however, had faith that Keith would show up, knowing that punctuality wasn’t his thing.

Right as he thought that, he saw Keith walking up to him, Shiro felt his heart tighten in his chest. He had to tell Keith, it was only fair. Shiro promised himself he would tell Keith by the end of the night, no chickening out. He regathered himself and his thoughts.

“Keith,” Shiro called out to him, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in, letting out a puff of condensation.

Keith lifted his hand in a small wave, flush sitting high on his cheeks from the cold.

“No uniform this time?” Shiro teased. Keith just rolled his eyes and bowed at the gate before walking through. Shiro held back a laugh as he followed suit.

The festival had a wide variety of stands, offering chilled visitors piping hot food and beverages, and games to impress their dates. Shiro gestured to one of the hot chocolate stands, boasting a long line that wrapped around the corner.

“Want me to get us some? You can check out the rest if you want,” Shiro suggested. Keith looked like he was about to protest, when something caught his eye.

“Sure,” he said readily, making his way through the crowd before Shiro could reply. He shrugged and went to stand in line. It was no more than fifteen minutes before Keith returned, two stuffed lions tucked neatly underneath his arms.

“Since you’ve been standing in line for so long,” Keith gestured to the plushes, both having stitched mouths curled up in a smile and eyes shiny, reflecting the lanterns that lined the walkway. The stubby little legs looked unsuitable for holding up their cylindrical body.

Shiro smiled, petting their fluffy manes. The pair of cubs were identical except for the coloring; one red and the other black.

“Which color do you like better, Keith?”

“Black is my favorite color,” Keith said, shifting the stuffed animal of the corresponding color.

“Perfect, because mine is red,” Shiro replied as he took the red plush from Keith, gently tucking it in his jacket pocket. He adjusted it, making sure its head was poking out. When Shiro finished, he looked at Keith who was looking curiously at him.

“I’m making sure he can breathe,” Shiro reasoned. Keith looked unconvinced.

“Where did you get them anyway?” Shiro asked, craning his head to look around the festival. Keith pointed towards a booth, decorated with lit lanterns and children crowding around.

It was a toy shooting range, other stuffed animals lining the sides of the stall. Shiro watched a few of the children trying to pop corks out of the rifles, missing the lined up bottles quite fantastically. It was obviously rigged, seeing how the corks barely made it halfway to the target before plunging below the table.

Shiro opened his mouth to ask how Keith managed not one but two prized lions, but he saw the attendant watching Keith carefully from the booth and Keith glaring back while squeezing the plush tighter.

Shiro decided against it.

The pair wandered around, grazing on festival snacks, their fingers sticky and bellies full when they stopped on the sloping bank. Other people were gathered there waiting for the start of the fireworks.

Both agreed that they weren’t pressed to watch the fireworks as close as possible and settled on a bench a ways away from the crowd. After sitting, Shiro begun to fidget a bit more nervously, tugging on his sleeve and adjusting the stuffed lion from time to time. Their conversation became more sparse, Shiro glancing occasionally at Keith.

“Keith, there’s something I need to tell you,” Shiro finally said, breaking the silence. Keith looked at him half curious, half concerned.

“I’m moving back to America.”

Shiro was met with silence, Keith unmoving and perhaps unbreathing. Shiro took his silence as an opportunity to explain.

“I came back to Japan to help my grandparents at the shrine,” this, Keith had already known, “But now that they’re gone and... ,” Shiro swallowed the hard lump in his throat, “I’m not helping anyone like this. No one comes to the shrine, I can’t continue on watching over a shrine with no patrons.” It hurt to admit, but once he started, Shiro couldn’t help continuing. “There’s no point,” he finished, his own reasoning sounding childish to him but had no solution to his dilemma.

Keith stayed silent, unable to answer. Knowing Shiro, it was something he thought about for a long time, coming to this solution. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, to Shiro when a shriek whistled through the night, followed by a boom and crackle of the blooming fireworks.

It was too loud, too late to say anything. Their attention drawn to the lights in the sky.

 

* * *

 

Keith’s chest hurt, a stabbing sensation of something digging a hole in his heart. He watched the flares in the sky steadily, letting the fireworks in his heart fizzle out into aching embers.

 

* * *

 

Shiro looked to Keith as he watched the fireworks. Shiro tried to memorize the lines of Keith’s face as the light illumination of the fireworks created contrasting light in Keith’s painfully beautiful features.

He was going to miss Keith so much. He was going to miss the lazy days of eating terrible snacks and reading books together. He was going to miss seeing Keith come to him with eagerness to show him a new test score. He was going to miss being able to hold Keith close when he fell asleep while studying.

He faintly wondered in the back of his mind when he began to fall in love with the young man.

 

* * *

 

Keith was lying on his side in his bed, still in the same position as when he came home, still in shock over Shiro’s sudden declaration of departure.

After receiving such news, Keith wanted to protest, even having the passing thought of telling Shiro to just forget the shrine and find a new job in town. Surely with a face and body like Shiro’s he would be welcome anywhere. However, he knew Shiro wouldn’t be so selfish as to abandon his grandparents’ lifelong work for his own personal pleasure.

With these thoughts, he trudged home, refusing Shiro’s offer of walking him back. Keith needed to rest; he even had the half hope that it was all just a dream and would wake up with Shiro at the shrine, those detestable words never having passed his lips.

Keith needed rest, but his body and mind had other plans.

He was swaddled like a burrito in bed, hoping his fetal position would bring him some comfort. All Keith could feel was his pulse racing throughout his body, unable to pinpoint where he felt it the most. First, it was his in his neck, blood beating rapidly beneath his skin. His temple throbbed, then his chest, then everywhere all at once. Then nothing at all. This repeated tirelessly, drawing out the night til rays of sunshine shone through the curtains.

Keith curled in on himself as he laid in bed, hearing the jingle of keys and a door slam shut as his mother left for work.

 

* * *

 

Keith numbly packed his bag as the lunch bell rang, slightly dreading going to the shrine. It had been a few days since they went to the festival. They said their farewells awkwardly at the gate, Keith still unable to find the words to express his feelings and Shiro looking painfully guilty for ruining the evening.

Instead of going to the shrine, he stayed the entire school day to study. He got shit from his classmates, but he couldn’t bare to look at Shiro without feeling like something was gnawing on his ribs from the inside out, a heavy weight deep in his gut.

However, Keith knew that their days were numbered. Shiro never said when he was planning on leaving, but Keith knew Shiro was one to do something quickly and efficiently once he had made up his mind. Keith made his way to the cafeteria to pick up buns for today’s dinner for he and Shiro. He was afraid to think of what Shiro had been eating for the past few days without him.

“Hey, Kogane,” a voice broke him out of his thoughts, “congrats on the last test.” Keith squinted at the girl standing in front of him. She looked familiar, but Keith couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Don’t act you don’t know me,” she sighed, shaking her head, “I’m still going to find out your secret on how you managed to be the stupidest person in class to the smartest.” Oh, that girl. The realization dawned on him.

“Just study-” Keith began to walk to push past her, but heard the soft jingle of his phone, the chorus of the bells on his omamori softly calling to him. Keith clenched his jaw, a sick feeling growing in his gut replaced the throbbing in his heart.

He reached into his pocket for his phone. This was for Shiro.


	3. Chapter 3

The branches on the trees outside the window were no longer naked, little green buds sprinkled throughout, waiting for the right time to emerge.

Keith looked out the window, thoroughly ignoring his teacher who was droning on about calculus or perhaps English. Either one didn’t matter to him. He sighed and put his head on his table.

Since telling the girl (he still didn’t care enough about her to find out her name)  about his omamori from the Shirogane Shrine, word spread fast about a shrine that had magical powers to help any failing student turn into a star pupil. Keith’s name was lost in the rumors, which he was grateful for. Additional reports of an extremely attractive and extremely single priest also brought a good number of the female population to the shrine.

Shirogane Shrine was becoming something of a legend within the town, suddenly filled with the same number, if not more, visitors that Shiro’s grandparents saw when the shrine was under their care. It was busy enough that Shiro probably didn’t need to leave, but since Keith wouldn’t be able to see him either, it didn’t matter to him.

He felt happy for Shiro.

But he couldn’t help but feel terribly lonely.

He had visited Shirogane Shrine a few days before to wish Shiro a happy new year, but seethed in jealousy as it seemed that Shiro no longer had time for him. The lines for the omamori were long and filled with squealing girls and obnoxious nerds, which was too much for Keith. Even for waiting for Shiro. He left shortly after arriving, with the taste of bitter defeat in his mouth.

He shoved the book that he was using as a pillow haphazardly in his bag after his teacher wrapped up, assigning some homework that Keith couldn’t be bothered with writing down.

Keith was almost out the door when he heard Lance’s voice cutting through the general rabble.

“Yeah, I stood in line for like, two hours but I bought ten study charms. I’m going to beat Keith in no time at all.” Keith turned around at the sound of his name. Lance was proudly displaying all of his charms, the bells jingling cries of betrayal to Keith. Keith made a swift exit before he heard any more.

As he was walking out of the front entrance, Keith heard someone calling his name. As he turned, he saw Pidge jogging towards him, looking mildly annoyed at the slower moving students as she went around them.

She quickly caught up to him, keeping pace as he walked. “Wow, you stayed the whole day? Is the world ending or something?” she teased, even though it kinda felt that way to Keith. ”Want to study today?”

“No,” Keith replied curtly.

“Ooh, is Keith too smart to even study?” Pidge knew Keith was not in the mood for teasing, but she still egged him on.

“There’s no point.” Even Keith heard the self-pity in his reply.

Pidge looked at him and rolled her eyes at his dramaticism. Keith pointedly ignored her.

“Is Keefy pouting because his big, buff, boyfriend is ignoring him?” Pidge’s taunt was too accurate this time for him to ignore.

“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s not even my friend,” he shot back bitterly, almost physically tasting the regret.

Pidge stopped in the middle of the road, hand shooting out to halt Keith. She dragged Keith off to the side into a park. Keith was going to protest, but he saw the way that Pidge’s brows were furrowed beneath her spectacles. Hot shame and guilt were burning deep and tight in his throat.

She made him sit on a bench, she was still standing, making her stand a few, but intimidating, inches taller than him. Her arms were crossed and Keith prepared himself for a much needed scolding.

“You take that back, Keith,” she hissed, “You know it’s not true.” Keith could only swallow, trying to make the lump in his throat go away.

“Do you know how much Shiro cares about you?” Again, she was met with silence as Keith actually did not know the answer that question.

“He came to our house yesterday,” Pidge continued, tone softening. “It’s been years since he’s come to our house, he hadn’t even visited when he came back to Japan; saying it was because it brings back too many memories for him,” the hurt still fresh in her voice. “And do you know the reason why? Why he came to visit us?” Keith shook his head dumbly at her rhetorical question.

“He came just to ask about you.”

Keith was struck with confusion. People do that?

“He wanted me to check up on you, saying how he hadn’t seen you in a while. He was really worried about you,” Pidge’s voice became softer. “And here you are having your stupid pity party, being a selfish asshole with the nerve to say that he’s not even your friend.” Her voice was quiet but her words cut into Keith like a knife.

Keith was at a loss for words. What do people usually say in this situation? What would Shiro say?

“I’m sorry, Pidge.”

Pidge met Keith’s eyes, surprise making them wide.

“Who _are_ you?” she joked, easing the air between them. Keith loosened the muscles in his shoulders, giving Pidge a small, apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize what an ass I was being, especially after all that you’ve done for me,” Keith said sincerely. Pidge snorted in agreement. Keith playfully nudged her with his foot in retaliation.

“I just really miss Shiro.” Keith felt relief in saying those words, finally out loud to someone besides himself. Pidge nodded sympathetically.

“It’s just that he’s changed my life so much, I didn’t realize how much he meant to me before he-” Keith stopped, suddenly struck with a new discovery. Pidge eyed him suspiciously, as if he was having a stroke.

“Holy shit, Pidge,” Keith’s arm shot out to hold onto Pidge’s bony wrist.

“What?” she snapped back, jerking her arm back from his grasp. She looked even more alarmed, especially since the last time they physically touched was when they were playing tag in grade school. Even then, that was too much touching for them.

“Am I in love with Shiro?”

Pidge’s eyes widened, with the confirmation of yes, Keith was indeed, an idiot.

“How stupid are you, really, Keith,” Pidge gawked at him. Keith gawked back at her unwarranted insult.

“Pidge, I’m being serious here,” Keith snapped back.

“So am I, Keith,” she retorted, “Did you hit your head or something?”

“What? No? What does that have to do with anything?” A puzzled expression pieced its way across Keith’s face.

Pidge, with plenty of experience with Keith’s denseness, ignored his question and decided to expedite the process. “Yes,” she said with a sigh, “you are probably in love with Shiro.” Keith’s baffled expression was probably going to be a permanent fixture on his face.

“How did that even happen..?” he muttered to himself.

“You know,” Pidge started, after a moment’s time to let Keith absorb this newfound information, “you should confess to Shiro.”

The suggestion was so absurd that Keith scoffed so hard spit flew out of his mouth. Pidge looked completely grossed out as she wiped the spittle off of her neatly pressed uniform.

“Pidge, that is the stupidest thing I’ve heard today.”

“Keith, you just asked if you were in love with Shiro just five seconds ago,” Pidge said bluntly. Point.

“Fine, it’s the second stupidest thing I’ve heard today.”

“In what way is it stupid, Keith.”

“Well, first of all, Shiro might not even like me like that.”

“He came to _our_ house to ask about you personally after not seeing you for literally two days. He gives you omamori charms every time you get a good score on a test. He lets only you study at the shrine. How could you say that he doesn’t see you romantically even just a bit?”

“Okay, fair. But what if he rejects me?”

“He won’t reject you, Keith.”

“How do you know though?”

It seemed as though Pidge was waiting for this moment the entire time, pushing her glasses higher up on the bridge of her nose.

“I have a plan.”

 

* * *

 

“ _Shiroooo_ ,” the wail came through his cell phone, Matt’s voice cracking with his distress. Shiro had to hold the phone a good distance away from his ear, still able to hear Matt clearly.

Before Shiro could even ask what was wrong, Matt started babbling. Shiro continued his trek home.

“I can’t believe Pidge is going to start dating. Oh my god,” he whined. Shiro curled his lips in on themselves, trying not to laugh at his best friend’s implausible dilemma. “My little sis is growing up..! Augh. No. I can’t let this happen. Shiro. Please. Pinch me and say this is a dream, no, no, a _nightmare_. Holy f-”

“Hold up, take a deep breath, Matt,” Shiro interrupted, knowing from past experience that if he did not do so, he would be standing out in the middle of the street for hours listening to Matt’s emotional rambling.

“How do you know Pidge is even interested in dating? I mean, this is Pidge we’re talking about,” Shiro tried reason to calm him.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Matt sniffled, _sniffled_ , Shiro couldn’t believe Matt was crying over it, and yet, he could.

“But,” Matt began, Shiro sighed internally preparing for another wave, “Pidge bought a love omamori.” That surprised Shiro, actually considering that Pidge was ready to date someone, she would actually want to buy omamori. Shiro sat in silence, absorbing this information while Matt sniffled on the other line.

“Wait, which one did she buy?” Shiro inquired.

“A _love_ one, man. Didn’t you hear me?”

“No, I mean the type of love charm. There’s different types, you know,” he was almost back home, making his way up the stone steps.

“I forgot, ok. I only buy the ones for singles. Thanks for the reminder, by the way,” another soft sniffle.

Shiro winced. “Sorry, buddy,” he said sincerely. He tucked the phone underneath his ear while he put his bag on the floor to rummage through it for his keys. Bingo. After unlocking his door, he decided to be lazy and kick his bag in the rest of the way, too tired to care.

“All good, man,” Shiro could hear the shrug. At least Matt wasn’t too distraught to forgive him.

“So, getting back on the topic,” Shiro started, “did you even try to talk to her about it?” Shiro knew the answer to that, but it didn’t hurt to ask. He started changing out of his formal wear, tugging hard on the tie around his waist.

“... No.” Predictably, Shiro was right.

“Just talk with her about it. Keep me updated alright?” After they said their goodbyes, they hung up. Shiro felt bad brushing off Matt a bit, but he didn’t have any more suggestions beyond what he told him. Shiro was also feeling the fatigue from a very long day and honestly didn’t feel like talking much longer.

Shiro looped his shirt around his head and tugged his arm through, reaching over to pull down the rest of the shirt. He let the soft material swathe him in comfort.

He laid down on his bed face down and let the darkness engulf him. Time for rest.

 

* * *

 

Shiro was awoken by a rapid series of buzzing by his phone. He looked blearily at the screen, blinking the sleep away.

_(11:01) False alarm :)_ , the first text read. It was from the only person that ever texted him.

_pidge was buying the charm for a friend who is planning on confessing_

> _(11:05) she called me gross lmao_
> 
> _(11:06) i feel so much better dude. thanks for hearing me out <3 _

Shiro chuckled, typing a quick “ _np <3 _” Before he could put his phone down back for sleep, it buzzed back to life in his hand.

> _(00:11) btw who the hell calls their kid “kiss”_

Shiro’s stomach dropped, sharp pain developing deep within his chest.

Well, he was wide awake now.


	4. Chapter 4

The air was filled with soft petals, fluttering down like oversized pink snowflakes. The trees seemed to sigh with relief from the shedding of extra weight.

“This isn’t going to work, Pidge,” Keith sighed, looking at the embroidered pouch in his hand. “It’s not even from Shiro’s shrine.” Keith felt guilty just holding onto the charm, evidence of his betrayal to the Shirogane Shrine. Keith hadn’t even paid for any of the charms he received from Shiro, but he had paid real money for this one.

“Well, we couldn’t have gotten it from Shiro, that would have been way too suspicious.” Pidge had a point. Keith reluctantly agreed.

“What am I even going to say to him?” Keith worried at his bottom lip, skin already picked away by nervous fingers.

“Salutations, dearest Shiro, happy celebration of Saint Valentine’s. Have I ever told you I am so fond of you? May we make out for exactly 2.3 hours before riding off into the sunset and allow me to live in complete comfort nestled between your perfect pecs”’” Pidge made flamboyant hand gestures as if she was spinning and trotting around with an imaginary Shiro.

Keith flushed. “I am absolutely not saying that to Shiro, what is _wrong_ with you Pidge. And isn’t 2.3 hours a long time?” No matter how tempting that was.

“It was a joke, you idiot,” Pidge deadpanned. “And it depends on how much stamina you have.”

Keith just furrowed his brows, not fully getting it. “If you say so.” Pidge rolled her eyes

“Also, what are we doing in the bushes. There’s a pathway you know.”

“You are the last person I want to hear that from.” Another point for Pidge.

This time Keith rolled his eyes for lack of response. Pidge returned the favor.

All of a sudden, Pidge grabbed Keith by the wrist, almost making him drop the charm.

“Keith, look! There he is!” Pidge was pointing to a rather large, squealing mass of people. Keith couldn’t tell how Pidge was able to do the impossible feat of seeing Shiro in the rabid masses. Oh wait, he saw a flash of white above the crowd. Never mind.

“Pidge this was the worst idea. Valentine’s Day is the most cliche day ever, too,” Keith sulked, tugging down his beanie further down on his head.

“Quit your sulking and get out there, you loser,” she said as she shoved him out of the bushes. Ah, Pidge. She always knew what to say at all times.

Keith was planning on just heading back into the bushes to Pidge to shove her back when he locked eyes with Shiro, who was looking through the crowd. An unfortunate girl was nervously holding out an omamori towards Shiro, who was not paying any attention to her at all - an obvious rejection. Brutal. Keith winced, knowing that that would also be his near future.

Keith didn’t want to any more of the people throwing themselves at Shiro, especially since he was planning on being one of them. He turned away to Pidge’s hiding spot when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder.

Shiro’s eyes were wide, breath coming out in short pants as his hand slid into Keith’s. Keith’s palms felt instantly sweaty from the contact, Shiro’s hands rough and worn around his soft skin.

“Come with me, Keith,” Shiro said as he tugged Keith away from the shrine, the sounds of their footsteps matching as Shiro brought them to the back of the shrine.

It was breathtaking, the most densely packed grove of cherry trees created a blizzard of pink. The fluttering petals mimicked Keith’s heart as his grip on Shiro’s hand tightened. As cliche as it was, it just felt right to be honest with himself and Shiro.

“Shiro, wait,” Keith tugged back on Shiro to slow him down. He reluctantly loosened his hand from Shiro’s grip. “I need to tell you something.”

Shiro stopped and turned around to look at Keith. His eyes were tired, his brows had valleys of worry between them. He looked like he also needed to say something, but like always, he waited patiently.

“I love you, Shiro. That’s all,” he professed sheepishly. He thought confessing would provide him solace from his teenage angst of unrequited love, but instead it warped into anxious pangs in his heart each time it beat. Keith couldn’t bear to look at Shiro in the eye, choosing fake Japanese politeness by bowing and holding out the omamori.

“I guess this is goodbye,” he said mostly to himself, bracing for rejection like all those who came before him. He could already feel the pain deep in his chest blossoming, filling his lungs.

Instead, he felt the charm being tugged out of his hand. The place where their fingertips touched tingled; Keith wasn’t sure if it was because of the exchange of heat or his skin being filled with longing to be in physical contact with Shiro again.

“Thank you, Keith,” came Shiro’s voice, sounding a bit winded. Keith looked up to see Shiro gently cradling the charm, a red hue feathering out beneath his scar, the tired look in his eye replaced with a certain softness that Keith had missed.

Shiro held out his phone with the omamori grasped in his hand, gesturing to Keith’s. “Can you put it on for me?”

With shaky hands, Keith helped Shiro put on his charm, still not fully grasping what this all meant to him, to Shiro, to their relationship.

Once finished with securing the charm, it jingled with a happy sound, finally at home.

“I have something for you too, Keith,” Shiro said as he put his phone back, reaching into his kimono. A familiar jingling sound reached Keith’s ears. Keith swore with every heartbeat his heart crawled higher into his throat.

Shiro held out the omamori out to Keith like all the others, but the significance was far different.

Keith reached out and took it.

“Keith, I love you, too.”


	5. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lil bit of spice for you for sticking around for so long

A chill ran through the grounds, wind blowing gently on the bare branches of the trees. White frost kissed the tips of the appendages, showing the first signs of winter. The whispering of the trees went unheard by the two nestled in the warmth of their home.

Rhythmic creaks and pants spilled out between the wooden doors, the paper dividers softly illuminated by the yellowing light. The straw floor was littered with luxurious robes, the fine craftsmanship ignored for something much finer.

“Ah, Takashi,” Keith panted as a soft mouth brushed against his neck. Keith was lying on top of Shiro’s solid body, grinding their hips together in a languid pace. They were in no rush, their time plenty for each other. 

“Keith, kiss,” Shiro said teasingly, as Keith rolled his eyes and obeyed the old joke. Their lips made wet smacking noises with each separation. As they allowed their lips to become well acquainted again, Shiro allowed his hand to snake down to grip the firm flesh of Keith’s ass. Keith returned the grope with a nip to his lip. 

Shiro watched as Keith drizzled lube on his hands. Keith helped Shiro lubricate his fingers, letting his them pump up and down Shiro’s suggestively.

“I love your fingers, Keith,” Shiro panted, wishing he could feel those hands on his cock. 

“I love your fingers in me,” Keith responded matter-of-factly. Shiro just let out a huffing laugh as he extracted his well slicked hand from Keith’s clutches. 

Keith went breathless as Shiro rubbed his perineum, alternating that and fondling his soft, pink balls. Keith’s cock twitched and precum pearled prettily on the tip.

He was going to growl at Shiro to hurry up, but as always, Shiro had read his mind and moved back to his puckered hole, still a little sore from that morning. 

As he was enjoying the burning growing deep in his belly from Shiro’s fingers, Keith looked down at Shiro, his hair a little bit longer on the sides from when they first met, his white streak slicked back from the wedding ceremony. Shiro locked eyes with Keith, eyes hazy and heavily lidded, sweat running down his high cheekbones. 

“I love you, baby.” Each time he heard those words, Keith felt the cracks inside him fill in with molten gold, feeling a bit more complete. 

Keith leaned down and wiped away Shiro’s sweat and sealed their lips together. 

“I love you, too,” he said sweetly against his lips. 

They rolled together in the sheets, basking in the golden light of the setting sun, their rhythmic movement causing the bells of their charms jingle in time with the beating of their hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this fic! It's been so long since I've written but I'm really glad that I signed up for the Voltron Big Bang! Biggest thanks to the best partner tei for making this experience so amazing! Please go get a better look at her amazing art on her twitter @[teiandcake](https://twitter.com/teiandcake) or tumblr @[teicakes](http://teicakes.tumblr.com/)!!


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